First, Mayor Wedegartner, thank you for your quick response to concerns expressed by Greening Greenfield (of which I am a member) and other organizations and individuals about the auction of 87 Stone Ridge Lane and the adjacent parcel. Knowing that the 13+ acre adjacent parcel will be transferred to the custody and control of the Conservation Commission is a great relief to all who cherish the trails and woods on this land that connects to the existing Rocky Mountain Conservation area.
The meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28 of the Conservation Commission brought to light an as-yet-unexplored possibility for the smaller parcel (6+ acres and a house). It is a possibility that would serve the public in much greater measure than a simple auction. I ask you now to postpone the auction of that smaller parcel, currently scheduled for Oct. 13, indefinitely to allow this possibility to be explored in earnest.
Per Chapter 30b, Section 16 of MA General Law, rather than simply selling this parcel in a public auction, the city can develop a request for proposals (RFP) that would place conditions on the sale including granting an easement guaranteeing access to the trails on the larger parcel, assuring no inappropriate development or clear cutting, and establishing measures to ensure that the house be maintained and repaired if necessary.
All of the public benefits that pertain to the larger parcel, now to be conserved, pertain to the smaller one as well. There are trails that connect to the trails (via the larger parcel) in the conservation area; these trails are currently regularly used by hikers and nature enthusiasts; the acreage is a critical habitat for plants and wildlife, including rare species.
The concerns pertain as well: in a public auction process, these 6+ acres would not be protected from private development that could limit public access and potentially result in the loss of mature trees and other negative impacts on flora and fauna.
Issuing an RFP with the above mentioned conditions attached would preserve the smaller parcel in line with the stated goals of Greenfield’s Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP), 2021-2028 which emphasizes that preservation of these currently unprotected areas of the Rocky Mountain Ridge should be prioritized. (Section 4-16) One of the first goals identified in the OSRP is to “Make needed improvements to Poet Seat/Rocky Mountain Ridge … Develop a formalized interconnected trail system along the entire length of the Rocky Mountain Ridge.” (Section 9-7) [Emphasis mine.]
A further and crucial consideration is that this land is classified by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program as Priority Habitat of Rare Species and Biomap2 Core Habitat, (quoting the Conservation Commission’s Sept. 19 published appeal to you) “defined as lands that ‘are most critical for ensuring the long-term persistence of rare and other native species and their habitats, exemplary natural communities, and a diversity of ecosystems.’”
Clearly, there is much to be gained by slowing this process down. Postpone the auction indefinitely, allow interested parties to submit proposals, and evaluate them with an eye to the goals of the OSRP and the protection of rare and native species.
Jan Maher lives in Greenfield.